"I've heard of it."

 

Taiping nodded, then said with a look of longing:

 

"Uncle Zhao at the village entrance said that there is an immortal on Yunlu Mountain not far from our village. A few years ago, the Snake Demon in Qingshui Town was killed by the immortal from the mountain, flying and escaping, very impressive."

 

The old man chuckled and then asked:

 

"Do you want to be like those immortals, Taiping? To be immortal and fly in the sky?"

 

"I do, of course I do."

 

Little Taiping nodded without hesitation, but then scratched his head and smiled awkwardly:

 

"But Uncle Zhao said that to cultivate, you must have innate spiritual bones. If you have innate spiritual bones, your name will automatically appear on the immortal status. At that time, an immortal will personally come down the mountain to take you up the mountain to cultivate. Otherwise, as a mere mortal, you cannot cultivate immortality."

 

It could be heard that Taiping's tone was actually somewhat disappointed.

 

"Taiping…"

 

The old man hesitated for a moment, then looked at Taiping with a serious expression, lowering his voice and asking:

 

"If there is an opportunity that could give you the immortal status, but it comes with the risk of losing your life, would you be willing?"

 

"An opportunity… to obtain the immortal status?"

 

Little Taiping was first surprised, then began to think seriously.

 

"Grandfather, if there really is such an opportunity, I would like to give it a try."

 

After a moment, he looked up, his eyes firmly fixed on the old man lying on the bed.

 

"Why? There is a risk of losing your life, you know."

 

The old man smiled and stared at Little Taiping's clean eyes.

 

"If I become an immortal, I can help cure your illness, right?"

 

Little Taiping answered matter-of-factly.

 

The old man was first stunned by his words, then smiled again.

 

"Taiping, take… take this."

 

Then, he struggled to lift his hand and handed a slightly worn-out wooden box to Taiping.

 

"Grandfather?"

 

Taiping looked at the wooden box in his hand with some confusion.

 

Since he could remember, his grandfather had been very careful in keeping this wooden box, not allowing anyone to see it.

 

"Open it…"

 

The old man said with great effort.

 

"Okay…"

 

Although somewhat puzzled, Taiping obediently nodded and opened the wooden box.

 

After opening the wooden box, Little Taiping saw only a vermilion wax pill and an ordinary soybean seed inside.

 

"This vermilion wax pill was given to me by a Taoist I met ten years ago. It is also called the spiritual bones pill. After taking it, it can transform mortal bones into spiritual bones and make your name appear on the immortal status."

 

Before Taiping could ask, the old man pointed to the vermilion wax pill in the box and explained.

 

"Is there really such an immortal medicine in the world?"

 

Little boy Taiping looked incredulous.

 

"In this vast world, there is nothing that is not extraordinary. What is a spiritual bones pill compared to that?"

 

The old man nodded seriously.

 

"Since this spiritual bones pill has such miraculous effects, why didn't you take it, grandfather?"

 

Little Taiping suddenly thought of a question.

 

"That Taoist said that the spiritual bones pill must be taken by children between the ages of nine and eleven to be effective. When I obtained this spiritual bones pill, I was already sixty-three years old, and your father and your second uncle and third uncle have also reached the age of wisdom. It is useless for us to take it."

 

The old man smiled bitterly.

 

It could be seen that he had regrets in his heart.

 

Who would be willing to miss such an immortal fate if they could?

 

"Moreover, after taking this spiritual bones pill, its effect only lasts for half a year. If you cannot reach the Qi Condensation Realm, as the immortals call it, within half a year, your status as a mere mortal will be discovered by the sect. Your name will be removed from the immortal status. Lightly, you will be expelled from the sect, and heavily, your memory will be wiped away, turning you into a foolish child."

 

The old man furrowed his brow.

 

Taiping was startled by these words.

 

But after thinking carefully for a long time, he still nodded and looked at the old man earnestly:

 

"Grandfather, I still want to give it a try."

 

In his view, once he entered the immortal sect and cultivated immortal arts, he would be able to cure his grandfather's illness.

 

So it was worth taking the risk.

 

"Alright."

 

Seeing Taiping's firm determination, the old man nodded with great satisfaction, then took the wax pill from his hand, peeled off the layer of wax robe on top, and handed it to Little Taiping's mouth:

 

"Eat it."

 

Little Taiping didn't hesitate and swallowed the spiritual bones pill in one gulp.

 

After the elixir entered his stomach, Taiping only felt a warm current, as if a warm hand was caressing his whole body.

 

But other than that, there was nothing special.

 

"Is that all?"

 

Little Taiping asked the old man with a surprised expression.

 

"In a few days, an immortal from the mountain will come down to pick you up."

 

The old man smiled and nodded.

 

At this moment, his expression was complex, with both joy and worry.

 

Of course, he was delighted that Taiping was his favorite grandson and could embark on the path of seeking immortality and inquiring the Dao.His worry stemmed from the fact that this path was bound to be fraught with hardships. Little Taiping might not even last half a year before being expelled from the mountain gate, reduced to a Foolish Child, leading a miserable life.

 

"Endless mortal world, Mortal Bones seek Immortal Fate. If one does not taste all the dangers of the world, how can one open the gate to the jade tower?"

 

The old man suddenly recalled the words of the begging Daoist before he left.

 

With this thought, his gaze became firm again—"It's right to let Taiping embark on this path!"

 

"Grandpa, what's the use of this bean?"

 

Taiping, feeling somewhat apprehensive, suddenly picked up the soybean in the wooden box.

 

"This was also left by the old Daoist. However, he didn't specify its function. He only said that if one day you are fortunate enough to enter the Immortal Sect, use the Spiritual Soil in the mountain to plant this soybean. By then, you will gain another great Fortuity…"

 

The old man answered weakly.

 

"Cough cough cough…"

 

After saying this, he began to cough violently.

 

"Grandpa, drink some water and stop talking."

 

Taiping stepped forward to support the old man with some concern.

 

"Taiping… keep that bean… what grandpa told you tonight… can't… can't tell… tell anyone…"

 

The old man firmly grasped Little Taiping's wrist.

 

"Grandpa, don't worry, I won't tell anyone!"

 

Little Taiping nodded vigorously.

 

"Taiping, although you possess Early Wisdom, the world is full of dangers. You must be very careful…"

 

At this moment, the old man, who was coughing so hard that blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, suddenly held Little Taiping's shoulders tightly, stared at him with his eyes, and shouted with all his strength:

 

"Taiping, grandpa has spent his whole life searching for the path of immortality, but in the end, he was trapped by these Mortal Bones. You must fight for it! Fight for all the Mortal Bones in the world!"

 

After saying this, the old man stiffened and fell straight onto the bed.

 

"Grand… Grandpa?"

 

Little Taiping felt a chill in his heart.

 

His small hand tremblingly reached out to the old man's nose, only to find that the old man had stopped breathing, his eyes dimmed instantly.

 

"I… I don't have a grandpa anymore…"

 

Little Taiping stood there in a daze, tears swirling in his eyes. Eventually, he burst into tears.

 

He didn't cry when his parents died a few years ago, he didn't cry when he fell down the hillside while Herb Gathering, and he didn't cry when he was trapped by a Jackal at the entrance of a cave for days and nights without food or water.

 

Because he knew he wasn't alone, he still had his grandpa.

 

***

 

That night, Little Taiping lost his grandpa.

 

That night, another name was added to the roster of the Spiritual Bones Stele of the Qingxuan Sect on Yunlu Mountain—Xu Taiping.

 

"At the foot of Yunlu Mountain, in Green Bull Village, a boy named Xu Taiping has developed Spiritual Bones. Quickly notify the Peak Master of the Seventh Peak to send a Disciple down the mountain to guide him."

 

The Elder who was Watching over the Deceased at the Spiritual Bones Stele placed a letter in the mouth of a White Crane at the gate.

 

"Disciple obeys."

 

The White Crane spoke human language, then spread its wings and flew into the sky.